


Supernatural: The Next Generation

by EvertheOptimistWaywardAF



Category: Supernatural, Wayward Sisters - Fandom
Genre: Gen, I am so sorry, Next Generation Winchesters (Supernatural), Past Character Death, Temporary Character Death, spn next generation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 02:17:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18326663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvertheOptimistWaywardAF/pseuds/EvertheOptimistWaywardAF
Summary: What does it mean to be a family? In an alternate timeline very close to our own, Jack Kline has lost almost everyone he loves. He reaches out to Claire Novak hoping they can connect. Meanwhile, a wave of monsters is heading across the United States and it seems as if it's unstoppable. Can our heroes stop it before it's too late?





	1. Rhyming is Hard

“Roses are red, violets are blue, hope you’re having fun in Sioux Falls, I’d like to meet you soon,” Claire read out loud, repressing a laugh. She looked up at Patience. “Oh my God, it’s so dumb.”  
“I wish I had an idiot sibling,” Patience said, crossing her arms. Claire blinked.  
“He’s not my brother. Our DNA matches, but he’s not my brother,” she said. Patience raised her eyebrows. “It’s like… if somebody possessed James and made another kid. That wouldn't be your sibling. Jack’s not my brother. He just shares the same DNA.”  
“Okay, whatever you say, big sis,” Patience said jokingly, sitting down on her bed. “Speaking of siblings, is Alex home yet?”  
“No, she’s still at the hospital,” Claire said. “Sucking up to the Doctors in her fancy new career.”  
“Back to Jack, he said he wants to meet you,” Patience said. Claire shook her head.  
“I don’t want to meet him. It’ll be weird.”  
“Do you even know what he looks like?” Patience asked. “Or… do you not want to meet him because he was involved in that whole… portal… another world… uh…”  
“You can say Kaia,” Claire snapped. Patience closed her mouth. “No, that’s a reason I’d like to talk to him. But I don’t want to, because he’ll think that means I want him in my life. After… after everything with his family… he’s probably looking for somebody to latch onto but that’s not going to be me. I have enough to worry about.”  
“He might be able to give you some answers. He knows the Bad Place Monster,” Patience said. “Maybe… if you talk to him, you can reach her. Get answers.”  
“I…” Claire looked away, biting her lip. “I think Alex is home.” 

“It’s almost as if she doesn’t want to meet you,” A voice drawled sarcastically. Jack frowned, looking at Emma. “I’d be shocked, however, as you are a very entertaining cousin.”  
“Emma, it’s… more complicated than that,” Jack said sadly. He closed his computer, the picture of Claire and Cas disappearing from the screen. “I just want to talk about Cas… and what we mean… Cas thought somehow I had his DNA. He wanted me to do the test. I didn’t think he would be right.”  
“That’s just weird,” Emma laughed. “At least I knew who my dad was. But then again, I didn’t have two biological dads by accident, because I’m not the type of weirdo who accidentally steals DNA by imprinting.”  
“I didn’t steal it,” Jack said quietly, his face red. Emma smirked.  
“Hey,” Another voice rang out. A third, shorter young adult arrived, holding grocery bags. “I just harassed some eggs off Stacey and her girlfriend.”  
“I hope you mean bought, Kai,” Jack said. Kai smiled menacingly.  
“That’s my girl,” Emma said.  
“Yeah, I bought them.”  
“You just ruined my day,” Emma slunk away to a bookshelf. “Why can’t people just commit armed robbery around here? Where’s the fun in that?”  
“Dad told me to look out for you,” Jack said.  
“I’m older!” Emma snapped, knocking books off one of the shelves. “I’m more mature! I’ve seen what the world is really like! You’re shallow!”  
“I might have led a rebellion, but yeah, I guess I’m shallow,” Jack muttered. Kai sat down lazily, stretching.  
“It’s not about who led the rebellion, it’s about who eats the most pizza,” Kai said. “And who still hasn’t been able to figure out how to open a portal.”  
“I’m working on it.”  
“By asking the Blonde to meet up because you share the same DNA?” Kaia yawned, slumping in her chair.  
“Why are you so tired?”  
“I’m too relaxed,” she said. “Look what you’ve done to me.”  
“Is this book about how to get Jack to shut up?” Emma asked, holding up a random book. “Oh, it’s in French. Crap.”  
“Stop bullying me, Emma,” Jack said. The door opened, and they all looked up. “Hey!”  
“What?” Emma asked, her eyes widening as a gaggle of people entered. “NO! Why are there people in our house?!”  
“Emma, I called them for a reason,” Jack said, walking up the stairs to greet them. He went to the woman who was seemingly leading the group. “You must be Krissy! You look exactly like your picture!”  
“Thanks?” Krissy replied. Jack turned to the other woman, whose long hair was in braids. They embraced, the brown haired girl laughing.  
“Long time, no getting murdered,” Maggie said, looking at Jack, up and down. “Wow, impressive. New clothes?”  
“Yeah. I dress more like Sam and Dean now.”  
“It suits you. I like the yellow,” she said. “Jack, these two are Josephine and Aiden.”  
“Please to meet you!” Jack shook their hands. Krissy wandered around, her eyes wide and in awe as he showed them down the stairs. “Sorry, I haven’t introduced you to my friends. Kai- she’s amazing with a spear, but frightening, and Emma Winchester, my cousin.”  
“Cool. So you were raised together?” Krissy asked. Jack blinked.  
“Oh, no, neither of us were exactly-” Emma started.  
“No, we were raised by our moms,” Jack cut in loudly. “I grew up in North Cove, Washington. Emma is from Seattle.”  
“The same state, at least,” Krissy said.  
“Yeah,” Jack laughed nervously. He eyed Emma and Kai, and they understood. No magic mentions until they could feel out what Krissy and her friends were like. Maggie was fine, but there was always a risk that she wasn’t aware of their biases. It had become an issue with Jack and hunters. As soon as they found out he wasn’t human, he would usually be cast out or told to go away or the hunters would kill him. He was lucky he had met Sam and Dean instead of anyone else. Hunters could be dangerous.  
“Anyone want eggs?” Kai asked.


	2. Welcome to Lebanon, Don't Enjoy Your Stay!

Claire sat on the couch, her phone in her hand. She stared at the number. Jack had sent it to her, and he said if she ever wanted to talk, she could just call him. She breathed in and out slowly, staring at it. Alex smiled at her from the table.   
“Claire, I’d just do it. If I had somebody out there, I would want to talk to them. I don’t think it would hurt,” Alex said. Claire sighed, setting the phone down.   
“What if he does have all the answers?” Claire asked. “What if he has answers I don’t want?”  
“It’s better to know, isn’t it?” Alex said. Patience looked at her quietly. “At least you’ll know the answers.”   
“Alright,” Claire said quietly. She pressed the call button, and the phone rang. There was no going back now.   
“Hello?” A young man’s voice asked on the other end of the phone.   
“Hey, it’s Claire Novak,” Claire said. There was a pause.   
“Wow!” he said excitedly. “Wow! I’m Jack Kline. Which you knew. Sorry.”  
“No, it’s fine.”  
“I’m in Lebanon, Kansas. I can send you my address. We’re having a hunter meet up right now because we’ve got some issues- I’ll talk about them when you get here, but…. Do you want to come?”  
“Uh… yeah. Yeah. I’ll come,” Claire spoke as if somebody else were speaking for her. She had surprised herself. “Just… text me the address.”  
“Alright!” Jack said. “See you… soon.”

Claire had followed the directions. It had taken them many hours, but they had arrived in Lebanon. They drove into the forest down a dirt road, stopping at what looked like a maintenance door. Claire got out, walking to it, and knocked. A tall girl stood on the other side, frowning. She had scars on her face, neck, and hands. Her red-blonde hair was cut short. She was sporting a utility jacket that looked a little big on her, with a pink and white flannel and a black t-shirt underneath. Around her neck was a gold locket.   
“Are you Novak?” She asked.   
“Yes,” Claire said quietly. Patience and Alex peered curiously over her shoulders.   
“I liked Cas. He was nice,” she said. “I hated Sam.”  
“Sam was alright,” Claire said. The girl grabbed her shirt, pulling it up.   
“Got a bullet hole right here from when he shot me from behind,” She said sourly. “I didn’t fade when Jack brought me back. He can’t heal me.”   
“Jack invited me,” Claire said, trying to avoid this awkwardness. Her first impression wasn’t going very well.   
“Of course he did. He’s talking to his little friends,” she said. “Sissy or Missy, whatever it was.”  
“Krissy?” Claire tried. She had done a hunt with Krissy a few years back. Krissy had anger issues, but they were about matched with Claire’s, so Claire wasn’t totally bothered by it. Krissy, however, was wary of any paranormal beings. Claire didn’t like her for that. She had been rude to Patience.   
“Yeah, that one,” Emma said. “Can I do the check?”  
“Yeah,” Claire said, reaching out her arm. Emma grabbed a bit of silver from her coat, pressing it against Claire’s skin. Satisfied, she did the same to Patience and Alex.   
“You don’t mind holy water, do you?” Emma sighed.   
“Go ahead-” Claire didn’t finish before Emma had splashed her in the face. Patience and Alex were more prepared, guarding their eyes.   
“Splish,” Emma said. “Looks like you’re good.”  
“Okay, can we come in?”  
“No,” Emma said, leaning against the frame of the door. “Jack said that he doesn’t want you to interact with our big sis until he’s there, just in case. You two have a history, and it’s… yeah.”  
“Who are you talking about?”  
“Bad Place Monster,” Emma said shortly. “Oh wait, he told me not to say that.”  
“She’s here?!” Claire said. Patience and Alex looked at each other nervously. “She’s- she’s here?!”  
“Yup.”  
“I thought that she and Jack only knew each other,” Patience said, confused. Alex gave her a look to warn her. “I didn’t know they lived together.”  
“Kai moved in after Sam and Dean died,” Emma said. “Jack is all convinced that she’s a hero and that she can be good, and she hasn’t decapitated anyone in a while. She’s actually allowed to leave. I’m not. I can’t walk out the door because he’s worried I’m a fruitcake and I’ll kill somebody.”  
“What’s a fruitcake?” Patience asked, caught off guard. Emma laughed loudly.  
“I’m a psychopathic lunatic nutcase,” Emma said. “Oh no! Emma killed somebody! So sad!”  
“You’re not gonna kill us, are you?” Patience said, her eyes wide. Emma’s smile widened, making her scars appear deeper.   
“No. I’d rather be free,” She said simply. “But if you really piss me off, take a step over the threshold, I’ll show you what my claws can do to your neck-”  
“Emma!” A voice said sharply. Emma turned, revealing a tall, skinny boy with a small frame. He had a mop of light brown hair and light blue eyes. He looked a lot like Claire. His eyebrows, his eyes, his lips, they curve of his face. It was strange. He was wearing a yellow and white flannel, similar to Emma’s, but a colorful t-shirt under it. Emma sulked away, leaving him with Claire, Patience, and Alex.   
“She told us the Bad Place Monster is in there,” Claire said instantly. Jack stared at her, blinked, and then sighed.   
“If you fight, I’ll have to break you up,” Jack said quietly. Claire assessed him, wondering how the hell he would be able to stop her. She had beaten far stronger opponents. He looked like he had never gone outside in his life.   
“Alright,” Claire said, her teeth clenched. His face warmed up, and he hugged her. She grunted in surprise.   
“I’ve been waiting to meet you for a long time, even before we knew we were siblings,” Jack said into her arm. He let go. “Welcome to the Bunker!”


	3. Keeping It Together

Claire hadn’t had time to look around in awe. She found Krissy, Josephine, and Aiden, then quickly investigated the place to find the girl they called Kai. It wasn’t her full name. Her full name was Kaia, but perhaps she had wanted to distance herself from the original Kaia. The one she had killed.   
“She must’ve left,” Jack said. There had been some doors that had been locked, so Claire had the feeling that she was still in the Bunker. One of those door’s had been Jack’s. Claire wondered what he was hiding in there. She quickly profiled the others before she decided to sit down with the other hunters around the war table. A giant board had been set up in front of it. Jack hurried to them with his computer and bag.   
“Hey, so, some of you know why you’re here- Emma, go away!” Jack said. Emma groaned from behind a pillar. “You don’t want to hear this.”  
“Jack, I long to hear of death and destruction. It fuels me!” She said sarcastically but walked away until Jack had looked away, and took to a door, slipping behind it.   
“So, we’ve got a massive herd of monsters moving west. They hit the east coast and have been moving toward Kansas for the last three days. Usually, monsters don’t work together. The only way I can see this happening if somehow they had rallied together. They haven’t acted like this since the apocalypse. When I was little, my u- I mean, Michael- found a way to control monsters and use them to fight. It’s likely we’re looking at some sort of hive mind or some monster is controlling the others.”  
“You think that the monsters have some sort of leader? Some sort of monster messiah?” Krissy asked, raising her eyebrows. “Monsters aren’t smart enough for that type of stuff. Unless they’re like her.”  
“Screw off,” Alex said angrily, scooting her chair backward to block Patience from Krissy’s line of sight. Jack blinked.   
“Oh,” He said. Maggie gave him a look. “Anyways, yeah. That’s what I meant. I do think they’re smart enough. Monsters are just like the rest of us, but many of them have different motivations- to feed off humans.”   
“Or just manipulate them. Cause them to do things that they wouldn’t’ve done by telling them what’s going to happen. Or forcing them to do it,” Krissy said. “Like sirens. Or psychics.”   
“My- I mean, Castiel was a monster, by your definition, and he saved the world,” Jack said angrily. “Do you have a problem with somebody here, Krissy?”  
“Why would you invite a monster?”  
“I have it on good authority that not all monsters are bad,” Jack snapped.   
“Jack’s right,” Maggie said quietly, getting a look from Krissy. “But that’s not what this meeting is about. We just have an issue, and we need to solve it.”  
“Take out the leader, maybe the monsters will just go back to their regular patterns,” Jack said. “We don’t have to kill them all. Not all of them are dangerous. They’re just following the leader. Once we get the leader, we can forget this ever happened and move on with our lives.”   
“Alright,” Krissy said. “You’re alright, Winchester.”  
“I...” Jack faded off. He no longer wanted to correct her.   
“So, Sam’s your dad?” Aiden asked, getting up. Jack blinked.   
“I consider all of them to be my dads. They… they all helped me become who I am,” Jack said. “But- but yeah, uh… I guess Sam is my father.”  
Claire ignored the blatant lie. She knew he was avoiding having to mention that he was a Nephilim. He wasn’t a threat anyways, as Claire understood. It sounded like he’d lost his power. Now he was just a human. Maybe. And he was Cas’s son, and it wasn’t as if Cas had been the most powerful angel ever.  
“Jack, where is your friend?” She asked. He sighed.   
“She’s probably sleeping,” He said.   
“Is she going to help us?”   
“I hope so, but that’s up to her,” He said. “Kai gets to do whatever she wants. She just lives here.”  
“Why is Emma in trouble?” Patience asked. Apparently, she didn’t know that Emma was standing very close nearby, hiding. Claire tried to give her the signal, but Jack was already replying.   
“Emma is a great person. It’s just that she sees threats that aren’t there, sometimes. She’s made some mistakes. It’s not her fault. She… she was raised to see the world as a threat. She thinks everyone’s out to get her,” Jack said, his voice quiet. “But it’s alright, everything's okay. Sometimes people just need breaks!”  
His happy tone had come back. He seemed very happy all the time. Claire wondered if that was his permanent setting. He didn’t seem very much like Castiel as far as that went. Cas had always seemed depressed. But then again… he had an optimistic side. Maybe this was what Castiel would’ve been like without depression.  
“Kai, you came out,” Jack said happily. “Krissy and her friends went to their rooms. Claire, Patience, Alex… you’ve met them, I think?”  
“I was in the laundry room,” Kai said, her eyes focusing on Claire. Patience and Alex looked at Claire nervously, but Claire ignored him. She felt her heart racing, her stomach clenching, and an unbearable spike of anger in her chest. She ignored Alex and Patience as they tried to stop her, her knife pulled out- running- her heart beat. Kai’s face, which seemed not too surprised at the attack. Claire suddenly lost her footing, jolting upward toward the ceiling. She screamed, thrashing, unable to hit anything. Kai stood below her, looking up.   
“LET ME GO!” Claire screamed, crying to get down.   
“I don’t need to be psychic to have seen that one coming,” Kai said, looking at someone out of Claire’s eyeshot.   
“Put her down!” Alex yelled. Claire was suddenly moving backward, and slowly, she was set down on the floor. Alex and Patience grabbed her, helping her get stable. Jack was lowering his hand, looking sad. Kai vanished into the hallway.


	4. Ariana Grande!

“You should’ve seen it- his eyes changed color! Yellow! He looked so intense-”  
“It was spooky, Claire. It was like everything was in slow motion,” Alex said. Patience nodded vigorously. “He had you up there for forever. I didn’t know Castiel could do something like that. You said Cas was his father, right?”   
“That’s what he told me,” Claire said quietly. “Cas’s eyes were blue, though. When they changed, they were blue.”   
“That’s strange,” Alex said. “Maybe it’s a Nephilim thing.”  
“Or maybe Jack is a liar,” Claire said. “I guess there’s a way to figure it out.”  
Claire found the file rooms easily. She scanned them. Finally, she found the Ks. She saw Kline, but it was a different first name. Then she saw Jack’s.   
“Jack Kline,” She smiled, opening the folder. It was empty.   
“Oh crap,” Patience whispered. “Wait, go back to the one before it.”  
“Kelly Kline?” Claire asked, opening it. It was about a woman. Apparently, she was Jack’s mother, based on the words in Sam’s handwriting. He wrote about how Cas and Kelly seemed to be very close. There were several pages of math, and copies of pages from lore books. Claire’s heart jolted when she saw the word father.   
“Kelly told Jack that Castiel was his father,” Patience read over her shoulder. “It’s almost true. We have suspicions that somehow, Jack was able to subconsciously copy Cas’s DNA in place of his father’s. It’s the only thing that makes sense. When he’s older, I’d like to do a test. Maybe if we can prove it, we can show him he’s really a part of the family. I doubt Claire is going to be pleased.”  
“Well, he was right,” Claire muttered. “But this means that Cas isn’t Jack’s dad, right?”  
“But the DNA thing was right, right?”  
“Yeah,” Claire said quietly. She looked at the picture of Jack’s mom. “It says here that she died in 2017.”  
“And it says that his father is dead,” Patience said, pointing to a point on the page.   
“For further information on the father, check File 3425,” Claire said. “That’s just a few things over-”  
She pulled the file off the shelf. The title was blacked out. She opened it, and the file was empty. “Maybe he really doesn’t want people to find out who his parents are. He’s lying to Krissy and her friends. He’s lying to us. Maybe we should stop.”  
“No, Alex. What if he’s bad, too? If he’s hiding this information, that probably means that he’s up to no good, right?” Claire said. “And the people he’s living with? Both are murderers.”  
“He trusts them, though, and Emma can’t even leave.”  
“Do you think he can stop us from leaving?” Patience asked. They stared at her. “If he can stop Emma, can he stop us? He picked up Claire like it was nothing. What if he dropped you? You could’ve died!”  
“Yeah. Well, I think our best shot is Emma. She’s pissed at him, she knows more than us, and she’s probably open to telling us,” Claire said.   
“In the morning,” Alex yawned. “Let’s do that in the morning.” 

“What- it’s Ariana Grande!” A man exclaimed. People rushed to take pictures of the famous musician. She ignored them, grabbing boxes of cereal off the shelves. “Ms. Grande, what are you doing in Lawerence, Kansas?”  
“Living my life,” She replied, before walking out. She hopped into a black van. The driver was laughing, grabbing her side. She pushed her red hair out of her face, then fell into more giggles.   
“Ariana Grande?” She asked, trying to catch a breath. “Really, BJ?”  
“What?” Bobby John Winchester asked, shifting back into himself. “I like her.”   
“That’s the last time you get to be a celebrity,” Magda Peterson said from the front of the car. “I don’t make the rules, but I also hate having to launch civilians over fences.”  
“Come on, live the posh life,” Jacob laughed, before giving Jesse a kiss. Jesse blushed, turning to look at BJ. “Somebody has to.”  
“Let’s go before we get caught,” Magda said, eying the growing crowd. “Pull us out of here, Sunny.”  
Sunny rolled down her window. “HEY, EVERYBODY! ARIANA GRANDE WAS NEVER HERE! GO HOME!”  
The confused crowd looked up, then around, as if they had just been in a collective dream, trying to remember why they came to the supermarket. Sunny pulled down the stick and the car spun out of the spot, gliding toward the exit. A short drive took them to the run down motel. It had just a few years ago, but they had taken over it. The five of them, and in addition, the others they had called.   
Their team was extended to Max Banes, a powerful witch with a demon deal, his creepy undead sister, Emily, the leader of the vampire community and Roberta Fitzgerald, a young pureblood werewolf not much older than thirteen. They had gathered here as they were painfully aware of the current movements of the monsters, and it frightened them.   
“Jacob, what’s wrong?” Jesse said quietly as Jacob grabbed his bag.   
“Look at the radar- the monsters keep getting closer and closer. Which means whatever is turning them is too,” Jacob said. “We’ve gotta move.”   
“Where will we go?” Max asked. Alicia turned, a worried look on her face. She tended to mirror his emotions. She seemed to stop existing whenever he got too far away. She wasn’t real. But nobody wanted to tell Max that.  
“Well, I guess we just keep going west,” Magda said. “We might have to get off the mainland.”   
“We can take a few monsters, can’t we?” BJ said hopefully.   
“Not if we’re under their control,” Sunny said.   
“We might be the only people in the world who can stop this.”  
“No. If the Winchesters are still around, they can fix it.”


	5. Chapter 5

“The wave is getting closer,” Emma said. “Jack, if you let me out, I can fight them.”  
“Emma, what if it gets you too?” Jack said quietly. “What if you go bad?”  
“I won’t, Jack! I’m not like the other monsters!” She said. Jack shook his head.   
“You say that, but mind control is mind control. When you’re in it, it’s extremely difficult to break out. I’ve only ever seen it happen once.” He said. Emma crossed her arms.   
“And if I’m his son, shouldn’t I be able to do it too?” She asked. “I was born with super strength and pain endurance, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”   
“If we were all like our fathers, the world would be worse for it,” Jack said. Emma groaned, facepalming.   
“Stop it with your dumbass sob story. I’ve heard enough.”  
“I’d like to hear it,” Claire said, walking into the room. Jack looked at her cautiously. He held up the files she had found in her hands. “Why are you hiding information?”  
“Claire-”  
“You’re evil, right? That’s why you’re working with bad people?” Claire said. Krissy walked in, Josephine and Aiden behind her.   
“What’s going on?” Krissy asked. “Why’re you so loud?”  
“Claire-” Jack tried again.   
“He’s a liar. He lied about his parents,” Claire said. Jack bit his lip. “He stole his own files to make sure that people wouldn’t find out. Because he’s some type of powerful monsters.”  
“What?” Krissy asked, her eyes narrowing. Maggie ran forward, standing in front of Jack, her eyes wide.   
“No, no, it’s not what you think!” Maggie cried. “It’s out of context-”  
“Then WHY ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS MONSTERS?! THEY’RE MURDERERS!”   
“Oops, looks like people know now,” Emma said monotonously. Kai looked around at the confused and angry faces and decided she’d prefer to be outside. Aiden ran to the stairwell, blocking it, holding a machine gun. Kai changed her mind.   
“Kai killed somebody on accident! She’s innocent!” Jack cried. “And Emma is getting better! You can’t judge them by their past-”  
“Because you’re a murderer too, I bet,” Krissy said. Alex and Patience had been drawn to the room by the noise. They looked around nervously.   
“Yes,” Jack said, raising his hands above his head. “I’m sorry. But the threat is real, and I would never lie about that-”  
“How many people have you killed?” Josephine asked, finally speaking up.   
“I don’t know,” Jack replied. “If you’re angry, you can hurt me. You’ve just got to leave Emma and Kai alone. They didn’t do anything to deserve this.”   
“SHE KILLED KAIA!” Claire screamed.   
“It was an accident!” Jack said. Krissy cocked her gun, wavering between the three. “Kai never met to hurt Kaia. She… she wanted to protect her.”   
“I’m going,” Kai said, pulling the gun out of Aiden’s hands and throwing it. She moved to run up the stairs but a loud bang echoed in the room. Kai’s eyes were blank. She looked down to see Maggie falling at her feet. She had run in front of her to stop the bullet.   
“NO!” Jack cried, falling to his knees next to her. Krissy fired another shot, hitting Jack. He hit the ground. Krissy aimed at Kai again, but Kai ran out of the door. Krissy pursued her. Claire stood there, blinking. Alex rushed to Maggie, putting pressure on her wound.   
“Jack…” Maggie said. “Jack.”  
“No, let’s not worry about him,” Alex said quietly. She had already assessed the injuries and knew who she could save and who she couldn’t. Patience walked over abrasively, looking at Jack. His eyes were open and glassy, a pool of blood around his head. That’s where the bullet had hit him. He would’ve died instantly. Patience looked away, feeling like she was about to throw up when she stumbled, the room flashing away.   
She was on a battlefield. Claire was next to her, holding a gun. She saw Krissy ahead of them, her knife above a little girl, maybe thirteen.   
“NO!” A boy cried out. He grabbed the girl, pulling her away. Weirdly, he looked like Emma, but with soft features and darker hair. If Patience had to place any person to the face, she thought he looked like a young Dean. He looked at her, his blue face uncertain, holding the little girl. An explosion went off. He was lost in it.  
Patience woke up in a bed. She could hear a conversation nearby. She recognized Alex’s voice. Her sister. Alex was speaking in a hushed voice to somebody else.   
“Patience seemed very upset by her vision. It… it must be something to do with the monsters,” Alex said. “How long do we have?”  
“Three hours. We’ve gotten all the humans we could in here. I went and got everybody we know, too. We’ve got Ben Braeden. Wendy Hanscum. Stacey, Max, and Eliot. All of the people from the town. They brought rations and mattresses. Emma is excited.”  
“Well, we’re lucky you woke up,” Alex said. Patience tried to hear what was going on. “Claire and Krissy are gone. They went after Kai.”  
“They won’t catch her. She knows the town better than anyone, and she’ll be leaving it anyways. She won’t want to be here when the wave hits.”   
“What about us?”  
“Well… us monsters are going to leave the Bunker. We’re going to Lebanon High. Which means Patience has got to come with us, just in case. It affected every non-human it’s reached. I don’t want her to get hurt. We’ll figure out what to do when the wave gets here. And you all should be safe. Can I trust you with the key?”  
“Yeah,” Alex said. “Don’t worry.”  
Patience got up, opening the door. She was unsteady on her feet, but she saw Alex and headed toward her. She looked at the person who she was talking to, confused, especially since she had just seen him dead on the floor of the Bunker.   
“You’re dead,” she said. Jack smiled.   
“Yeah, I am,” He said. “I died a long time ago.”   
“The bullet hit his brain, so he was in shock when you saw him, but Jack heals quickly,” Alex said. “He’s so interesting!"  
“What about Maggie?” Patience asked.   
“He healed her,” Alex said admirably. Any doubt of Jack she had was gone. Patience found it strange, but she didn’t say anything.   
“I had a vision. Claire was there. There was a girl, and she and Krissy were fighting, and then a guy pulled her away and he was blown up,” Patience said. “I think it’s tonight. We were all wearing the same clothes.”   
“Okay,” Alex said. “Well, we’ll be very careful.”   
“Alex, that boy, and a little girl are going to die!” Patience said. Alex sighed.   
“Then let’s try to stop it.”


	6. Oh, we've made some mistakes

Patience sat quietly in the back of the car. She listened to the radio. Jack looked very intense. Emma was smiling happily, driving the car.   
“I’ve never been to Lebanon High before!” Emma said. Jack smiled at her, but it was hard to keep up. A voice over the station spoke loudly.   
“Please vacate the town to our emergency weather shelter. If you do not do so, you are at risk for death. Any non-humans, please go to Lebanon High. Repeat, non-humans to Lebanon High. We need all non-humans at Lebanon High. Repeat, please vacate to our-”  
“Jack, are we gonna die?” Patience asked quietly, listening to the wind whipping the car as it rumbled down the road. He touched the window gently.   
“No,” He said. “We’ll figure out what this is soon. I promise.” 

The gym was surprisingly crowded. A group of people stood in the corner. Patience felt a start when she saw the girl from her vision. She grabbed Jack’s arm, telling him. He walked over to her and said something. The girl nodded. He motioned for Patience.   
“Patience, this is Roberta. She’s kinda like my cousin,” He said. “Not really, but our parents were friends, and we saw each other a lot. She was six when I was born.”  
Patience didn’t exactly want to do the math, as Jack was clearly older than Roberta, but she nodded as if she understood. “Hello.”  
“Patience is worried about your safety,” Jack said. Roberta laughed.  
“Don’t sweat it,” she said. “I’m thirteen. At least I’m not seven.”  
“Ha, ha,” Jack said, annoyed. “You just like being older.”  
“I own being older,” she said. “But you’re mature for your age.”  
“I hope so,” Jack said. Patience wandered away, looking around. There were a bunch of people from Lawerence, them, and a few monsters from the area.   
“This place looks so flat,” The tall boy with the bangs said. The shorter, but still tall boy standing next to him laughed.   
“We drove three hours in the hope that Sam and Dean would protect us, and instead we end up in the smallest high school in the world,” He said.   
“You know Sam and Dean?” Patience asked. They turned to look at her.   
“Of course we do,” The shorter boy said. “Dean killed my mom.”  
“What?” She asked, her voice wavering.   
“Jacob,” Said the taller one reproachfully. “Sorry… uh, I’m Jesse. I had a run in with them when I was a kid, but my powers are pretty weak now. They only work well when I’m near Lucifer is free. And he’s dead, so all I can do are parlor tricks.”  
“Lucifer?” Patience asked, raising her eyebrows.   
“Yeah,” Jesse said. “Did you hear he had a son? The Winchesters kept him locked away like Rapunzel or something all these years. Now that they’re gone, who knows where the hell he is. Probably getting revenge or something.”  
“Jack, did you know about that?” Patience asked, grabbing Jack’s arm. He looked around, confused. “Apparently Lucifer is a guy, and he had a son-”  
“-and the Winchesters had him locked up forever, and now he’s out,” Jesse finished. “I bet he’s a weirdo. But I can’t really say that, being who I am, right?”  
“If he was kept in a basement his whole life, can anyone blame him?” A red-haired girl chimed in. “Sunny, by the way. I don’t know what it would be like to be locked away. He probably hates the Winchesters. There’s this rumor going around that he killed him. It seems pretty plausible too.”   
“I get it,” Magda muttered. “I don’t think he’s all that bad. But I’d get it if he did kill them after them locking him up. I tried to kill my parents.”   
“Jack, you lived with them, did you know him?” Patience said.   
“Uh… no, we didn’t talk,” Jack said.   
“Do you know his name?” Jacob asked, his eyes narrowing. Jack blinked.   
“Yeah, it’s Lemony Fiji,” Jack said.   
“What?” Jacob laughed.   
“His dad named him,” Jack said quietly. Patience looked at where Jack was looking and saw exactly what Jack had said- a lemon slice in a Fiji bottle sitting on a table. She looked at him, his face pink with embarrassment, and she realized that the person they were talking about had been right next to her the whole time. She wasn’t totally sure what to do. She now knew why Jack hadn’t wanted them to know too much information about him, but she wished she didn’t because now she was wondering if he really had killed his family.   
“Whatever,” Jacob said, his eyes suspicious. “I’d hate to meet that kid in a dark alley. What were the other rumors about him?”  
“Well, the Winchesters had to keep him locked away because he was too dangerous for the world. They would’ve thrown him in a cell and locked away the key if they could’ve, but instead, they kept him distracted.”  
“Don’t they say that he hurt them a bunch of times until they took away his powers?”   
“Yeah, they do,” Magda said. “But again, if he did kill them… I really liked them, and these stories don’t really reflect what I knew when I met them… but yeah, if they’re true, I honestly don’t blame him. He was just a child.”  
“You know what I know for sure?” Jacob said. “He killed his mom. That’s one that you can’t argue. The evidence is all there. That’s how the Winchesters knew to keep him locked up all this time. His mom would’ve lived if it weren’t for him.”   
“He was a baby,” Jack said, barely above a whisper, his voice shaking. “He was a baby when he mom died. She died in childbirth.”  
“My parents always said that if a mother dies in childbirth, that’s a sure sign of evil,” Magda said. “But I wouldn’t really believe that-”  
“No, I think it’s true,” Jacob said, his lips in a sneer. Patience looked from him to Jack and back again.   
“I don’t,” Max said, appearing out of nowhere. He gave Jack a small smile. “Sometimes death is just death. My father was killed by another hunter, and my mom was killed by a witch, that doesn’t make me bad.”  
“You are a psycho, though,” Jacob said. “With your creepy sister.”  
“Jacob,” Jesse said, “Let’s go somewhere else.”  
“No,” Jacob said, turning on Jack. “No, I want to thank you.”  
“Thank me for what?”  
“Killing the man who killed my mom,” Jacob grinned.   
“I’m not who you say I am,” Jack said, but the lie was obvious. Jacob’s smile spread wider and Jack turned, running out the gym door.   
“Guys, the wave is here!”

The wind pounded against the Bunker. Alex waited worriedly, hoping that Claire would be coming back soon. The inhabitants of the town waited, listening to the sound of the wind, a low rumble of voices filling the rooms. Alex found the keys. She remembered that Claire had wanted to see what was in Jack’s room, so she unlocked the door.   
Weirdly enough, it seemed like a normal room. There had been no reason to lock it other than privacy. There was a Star Wars poster on the wall, a stuffed animal bumblebee on the bed… but also on the bed were the contents of the missing files. Alex looked at them, frowning. There was a picture of Jack with Sam, Dean, and Cas, happy. Jack and a woman with short, curly blonde hair and flannel who Alex didn’t know, and Jack with two red-haired women, one of whom dressed like a Winchester, the other like a fashion model… Jack and Jody…. She hadn’t realized they had met. They looked pretty happy. Sam wrote mostly nice things. Jack had run away from home a few times… it didn’t seem to incriminate him in any way. Maybe he was just afraid they’d try to bring it up to him.   
Then there was a picture that didn’t look so nice. Jack was in the hospital, and Castiel was by his side, holding his hand. Jack looked very sick. There was only one picture after that, of Jack asleep in Cas’s arms. It was just before Christmas of 2018.   
The notes extended beyond 2018. Sam’s writing seemed more infrequent and more stressed the further she got into it. His last note read ‘Jack is showing major signs of stress. He’s having trouble controlling his powers. He threw Dean into a bookshelf. Jack is locked in his room. He’s been crying for a few hours now, pounding on the door. He says he’s scared. I want to help him, but the collar isn’t stopping him anymore. He’s lost-’ the note didn’t finish. Alex set the files down, looking in the closet. She moves the clothes aside, finding what Sam was referring to. It was exactly what he said- a metal collar. It had an inscription on it in a different language, and a small signature, ‘FM’.   
“What did you do?” Alex said softly. She had a sudden jolt, remembering that Patience had left with him and Emma… the homicidal maniac that Jack had kept locked up too. She swore, standing up. She had to get answers.

Patience had gone out into the storm. She found Jack sitting alone in the field, the coat he had brought in the car on for the first time that night. It didn’t fit him right. The shoulders were too wide. She looked around. Something looked familiar about this place.   
“Jack, did you kill them?” She asked. Jack looked up, the rain making his hair turn dark brown. “Did you do it?”  
“No,” Jack said, wiping his nose with his sleeve.  
“How did they die?” She asked. Jack looked out across the field toward the forest. He sighed. She sat down next to him.   
“We had a fight. Dean and I. His leg was injured, and he was limping. They locked me in my room. Dean decided to go find Emma. He followed her trail to a diner. She got mad at him and tried to fight him. She accidentally killed a waitress in the process. They were bringing her home when the car crashed. Cas found me, and we went to go find them. Emma got the scar across her forehead and the ones on her palms. She wasn’t alright. Sam and Dean were killed. I healed Emma, but I wasn’t strong enough to bring them back. Cas decided to go to Heaven to be with them and mom, and their other friends. He never died. Just… people thought he did because I didn’t want to tell anyone he left me.”   
“Why would that be your fault?” Patience asked softly.   
“If I hadn’t hurt Dean, he could’ve slammed on the breaks, and then they would’ve lived,” Jack said. Patience shook her dead.  
“My grandma died because she saw all of the possible outcomes and chose the one that would save my life,” Patience said. “I’ve felt responsible for her death, for years, but in the end, only she could’ve made that choice. They still would’ve gotten into that crash, whether you were there or not. I don’t think you killed them.”   
“I don’t think it matters to the universe what some random psychic thinks,” Jack said, adjusting his overlarge coat. “I know I killed them. If we hadn’t had that fight, they wouldn’t’ve left me. That waitress would’ve lived. They would still be alive. I wouldn’t be responsible for Emma.”  
“Jack, you’ve just got to let it go,” Patience said. “It’s over. You’ve got to let them go.”  
“They’re here,” Jack said quietly. Monsters were emerging from the trees. Patience’s eyes went wide, and she ran back toward the gym, but something stopped her. She was feeling tired, her feet shaking, the world twisting. She turned around to see Jack standing up, rain dripping off his shoulders. He spoke in a language she didn’t know.  
“Jack?” She asked faintly. A monster stood out from the rest, it’s arms stretched out wide, a smile on its face.   
“I’m the Piper,” The monster said, her white teeth glinting. “Welcome to the family!”


	7. Piper, Parper, Harper

Alex knew what Jack had told her, but she had taken all the best fighters from the Bunker and they were heading to the gym. The car rolled in the mud, spinning to a stop. Alex could see Jack and Patience from a distance by their bright clothes.  
“PATIENCE!” She cried, waving her arms. Patience didn’t turn around. Monsters emerged from the trees on all sides, muddy and pale. Alex ran toward her, trying to reach her. A blast threw her aside.   
“ALEX!” Another voice screamed. Claire ran out of nowhere, grabbing her.   
“JACK!” Kai yelled, rushing toward him. She stopped dead in her tracks as a haunting tune echoed in the air. Kai’s eyes glazed over, and she turned toward the monster that was now approaching from the other side of the forest.   
“Jack, it’s been a while,” The Piper said. “I’ve gotten an upgrade. I found your father’s weapons, and I found one that made me irresistible! I can control all of the monsters.”  
Alex looked up, watching as the leader of the monsters kissed Jack. His eyes were glazed and unseeing. He didn’t know what was happening.  
“See, now I have an army, and you’ll be with me forever!” She said happily, stroking his hair. He stared blankly, his light blue eyes completely unknowing. “Mrs. Harper Kline!”  
“Hey, bitch!” Emma yelled. “Get away from my cousin!”   
“Ugh,” Harper said, whistling again. Emma faltered, her courageous look fading, replaced by a blank, pale face. Slowly, people walked out of the gym, their looks blank. Harper counted them quickly. “Wow, baby, our army is so big!”  
“Monsters,” A voice behind them sneered. Krissy stood there, a gun in one hand and a knife in the other. “Who's ready to get to work?”  
“No, there are too many!” Alex said. “And they don’t know-”  
“They’re all bad in my book,” Krissy said. She screamed, charging. The people behind her charged. The Bunker must have been emptied because they had all joined them on the battlefield, even the ones who weren’t hunters. The humans charged, and so did the monsters. Harper and Jack vanished into the crowd.   
The fighting got intense quickly. Patience took at swing at Claire. She felt helpless and weak like she had at her mom’s funeral. There was nothing she could’ve done. Nothing would’ve stopped her mom from dying, even though she had seen it coming… she had known, but nobody had believed her. It was her fault.   
“Patience, wake up!” Claire screamed. Alex grabbed her from behind. “Patience, you’ve got to wake up from this!”  
She was drowning in fear. She was remembering the night her father told her that if she left she could never come back. She remembered when her vision caused Kaia’s death. She remembered everything. Patience remembered the time she had spent with Claire and Alex, the days they had fun and when they went to concerts and movies together. The memories of her grandma and her mother and her father when they were still on speaking terms resurfaced. Her memories of Jody, and Donna, and all the pain and love she had felt. She fell from Alex’s arms, blinking. A boy helped Patience up. With a shock, she recognized him as the boy from her vision.   
“No-”  
“My name is Ben. You’re gonna be alright,” He said. He turned, spotting Krissy. Claire was standing next to Patience, holding a gun. She saw Krissy ahead of them, her knife above Roberta Fitzgerald, the girl she had met in the gym. Patience suddenly realized- this was the moment she had seen in her vision. This was when Ben Braeden died.  
“NO!” Ben cried out. He grabbed the girl, pulling her away. He looked like Emma at that moment, his face brave, but with a soft kindness to it. She thought he looked like a young Dean. Ben looked at her, his pale face uncertain, holding Roberta as she struggled in his arms. Behind him, Max’s eyes were glowing. He looked like he was in pain, Aiden with his knife at his neck.  
“BEN, MOVE!” She yelled. Ben jumped to the left, pulling Roberta with him as an explosion went off, sending purple waves across the sky. The ash filled the air. Ben looked up, his arm over Roberta. She stared at him.   
“I can save you,” She cried, tears falling down her face. “I saved you.”

“Take Harper out!” Alex yelled, pointing toward the end of the field. Claire trained her gun on the blonde girl with the red bandana. She was saying something to Jack, touching his face. Claire fired, but missed by a small margin. She had clearly caught Harper’s attention.   
“Kill her,” Harper said. Jack nodded and headed across the field toward Claire. The fighting parted for him, his coat almost floating behind him. Claire suddenly realized what he was wearing- it was Castiel’s trenchcoat. He hadn’t fully reached her when he swiped out his hand and flung her up into the air. Claire soared above the field and then fell back down at top speed, some kind of force slamming her into the ground. There was a crack as she landed on her arm. She clenched her teeth, knowing she was outmatched.  
“Jack, stop!” She said, her hand tight around her left arm. Jack looked at her blankly. He swiped up again, and she flew even higher this time, and crashed back down on the same arm, causing even more pain. It shattered through her body, her ribs on fire. “No!”  
He said something in another language softly as if he were reciting it from memory. Claire knew that language. She could speak it. She knew what he was saying, and she wasn’t even sure how. She struggled to get up and shouted back at him.   
“Jack, wake up!” She said, but the words came out differently, in an ancient language. He stared at her. “Harper is controlling you. You need to wake up.”  
“I’m scared, dad,” He said, but his face showed no emotion. “I’m so scared. You can’t leave me. Please don’t leave me alone. Don’t leave me alone again!”  
“Jack, you’re not with your father, it’s just you and me,” She said, reaching out. “You don’t have to be scared.”  
“You promised you’d always be there,” Jack said softly, a tear falling down his cheek. “You said you’d always be there for me. Dad, dad- dad, please.”  
“Jack, you’ve got to wake up now, it’s not real!”  
“Then it’ll be an adventure,” Jack said, a smile appearing on his face. “Goodnight, Sam. I love you. Tell them I love them too. Sam… Sam… where are you? Sam?”  
“Jack, Sam’s dead!” Claire yelled.  
“You said we’d go to the stars!” Jack said, his smile gone, tears falling down his face. Claire grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. It didn’t work. “No, no… please leave me alone. Just leave me alone. I don’t like this. I don’t like this. Michael, please-”  
“Jack, you loved Sam, and Dean, and Cas, but they’re gone now. It’s not your fault, okay? I’m so sorry about what happened, but it’s alright. You’re forgiven, alright? You’re forgiven.”  
“Mom…. wake up,” Jack’s voice cracked.   
“Think of all the good. Think of how they loved you, alright? Don’t let the bad drag you down. You… you’re my brother, alright? You’re amazing, and you can fight this! Fight this!” Claire said. Jack blinked slowly, his pupils getting wider. Tears ran down his face.  
“Harper,” He said, turning toward the other end of the field. Claire followed his eyes to Harper, who looked extremely angry that Jack hadn’t killed Claire. “She has the weapon.”  
“Alright,” Claire said. He turned to her.   
“How can you speak Enochian?” He said quietly. Claire blinked.   
“I don’t know,” She replied. “Is Enochian what we were talking in?”  
“Nevermind,” Jack said, before turning back to Harper. Harper’s eyes went wide, and suddenly the fighting stopped. The monsters turned toward Jack. He ignored them. Harper waved her hand and they started attacking him. He sent them all away with one small stomp, clearing a giant path through the field. Harper started to run. “NO!”  
“Jack, I know you’re angry but this was for us!” She screamed. “I wanted you back!”   
“Love isn’t supposed to be mind control!” Jack yelled. “It’s not trying to kill somebody and bring them back as a zombie! It’s not about the story! Love is about kindness, it’s about compassion, and it’s about NOT KILLING PEOPLE!”   
“You said you loved me!” She cried.   
“Because you forced me to!” Jack yelled back. He had finally reached her. The battlefield stood still. A cry rang out, and many people turned to see Krissy and Josephine holding Aiden. Patience hadn’t realized there would be another victim of the explosion. “Love is about letting go! It’s about moving on! It’s about doing what they would’ve wanted you to!”  
Claire looked at Kai, who was standing nearby, defenseless, her spear on the ground. She could kill her right then, and nobody could stop her. But then she looked back at Jack, tears in her eyes. Maybe he was right. Maybe she had to let go.  
“Love isn’t forced captivity! It’s not about what only one person wants! It’s about everyone. Why can’t you see that?” Jack yelled. Magda, Sunny, and Emily were crying now. They broke out of their trances, looking around. Harper was losing control.   
“I don’t care what you think!” Harper cried.   
“It doesn’t matter!” Jack replied. Sirens sounded off behind him, and two police cars rolled over onto the grass. They turned to see the officers get out, holding their guns up.   
“Hey, looks like multiple accounts of murder and the kidnapping of a minor can get you jail time!” Emma said happily, waving her phone. Jack grabbed the necklace off of Harper’s neck and crushed it under his foot.   
“NO!” Harper screamed. There was a collective sound of surprise as a wave of energy passed over their heads. People looked around, confused. Kai snapped back into reality, noticing Claire. She carefully picked up her spear, never looking away from Claire’s gun.   
“Harper Sayles, you’re under arrest,” One of the officers said as Jack lowered her to the ground. The officer gave Jack a small smile, before taking Harper away. Jack turned to Emma in surprise.   
“How did you break out?”  
“I dunno. I did it for my cuz. So I guess it’s back to the old chain and shackle now?” Emma said. Jack shook his head. She frowned. “You’re not going to kill me, are you?”   
“No, you’re free,” He said. Emma blinked. “I removed the spell when we left the Bunker. I’m not going to make you go back. I do want you to meet somebody, though.”  
“Who?” Emma asked, frowning.

After a few hours, the monsters had mostly cleared out. Claire sat on the field, her legs to her chest. Patience and Alex sat next to her, waiting. Jack and Emma were still waiting by the road. Finally, a blue car pulled up. A white-haired woman stepped out. She had aged, but Patience recognized her as the blond woman from Jack’s file. She looked at Emma apprehensively as Jack explained something. The woman put her hand to her face, tears falling down. Then she hugged Emma.   
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” She whispered, her voice shaking. Emma smiled. “Why weren’t you at the funeral?”  
“I felt responsible,” Emma said, looking away. “We both felt like it was our fault. That’s why Jack never called until now.”   
“And you’ve been in Lebanon this whole time?” She smiled, looking at Jack. “I thought the place was abandoned after your fathers died.”   
“Cas is alive,” Jack said. Mary looked at him, surprised. “He’s in Heaven.”  
“Oh… oh,” she hugged him. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve looked for you for longer after Sam and Dean died. I should’ve stopped you at the funeral. You should’ve been with me this whole time. I’m so sorry, Jack.”   
“It’s not your fault,” He said, smiling. “And… I met my sister.”  
“What?” Mary asked, looking where he was pointing.   
“Somehow, when I was a baby, I copied Cas’s DNA. That’s why I look like him. I got it tested, and Jody had it compared to Claire’s, to see if it was true. And we found out that I really am his son,” Jack said, tears falling down his face.   
“Does he know?” Mary said, touching Jack’s cheek.  
“He wanted me to find out, but I haven’t told him,” Jack said. Mary sighed.   
“Maybe it’s time.”


	8. We Are Home

Mary was quick to clean up the Bunker. She dusted off the bookshelves and scrubbed up the blood, muttering about how mad Dean would’ve been if he had seen it. Jack laughed at that comment, dipping his sponge in the soap bucket. They worked together to make it look nicer. Emma sat on the table, reading a book. Claire had decided to help, picking up the books that Emma had knocked off their shelves and replacing the weapons on their stands.   
Patience and Alex were packing their things. Patience looked tired. “Hey, Claire, ready to go home?”  
“Not yet,” Claire said quietly. She saw a shadow nearby and had a feeling she knew who it was. She stepped toward it, but not so close as to scare it away. Patience and Alex went to help Jack and Mary in the other room. “Hello.”  
“Hi,” Kai’s voice replied. She looked out from the door nervously, her spear gripped at her side. Claire stepped forward.   
“Is… is that the same one?” Claire asked.   
“Jack made this one. He gave it to me as a gift,” Kai said. “The one that killed her is gone. Broken by an archangel.”   
“Really?”  
“Yeah,” Kai replied, her dark eyes looking over Claire. Claire saw that she was looking at Jack and Mary. “Mary’s back, which means I should leave. Jack doesn’t need me anymore.”  
“Where will you go?”  
“Here and there,” she said. “Jack was going to send me back to my world, but I don’t want to go back anymore. I care about people now. And… whatever I had there is gone now.”   
“Why did you kill her?”  
“I was trying to kill you,” Kai said. “I loved you too, but you… you didn’t care about me. You betrayed me, and you got yourself killed, and I didn’t want her to go through that. She was like my sister. I cared about her. And I am so sorry.”   
“Maybe we should listen to Jack’s advice,” Claire said. “Maybe it’s time to let it go. Because Kaia isn’t coming back.”  
“I wouldn’t know… I think strange things happen in this world, especially when we don’t expect them,” Kai said. She turned away, vanishing back into the hallway. Claire turned around. The bucket had been overturned. Mary, Patience, Alex, and Emma were all crowded around Jack. Claire rushed over.   
“What’s happening?” Claire asked. “What’s going on?”  
“He’s having a seizure,” Mary said. “He hasn’t had one in so long. We thought he was better… he had healed. Somebody get a pillow!”  
“I’ve got it!” Emma said, running away. Claire knelt down, confused. Why had Kaia said that? What was that about? Why wasn’t she worried about Jack? Emma had returned just as Jack opened his eyes. They glowed yellow, and he coughed.  
“Jack, are you okay?” Mary asked. Jack smiled.  
“That was a one-time thing,” He said, his voice hoarse. “Don’t worry about it.” 

Returning to Sioux Falls was strange after the events of the week. Claire hadn’t fully processed what had happened. She didn’t remember what happened to everyone else. She knew Krissy had left angrily with a sad Josephine. That Jesse and Jacob had hugged, crying. Jacob had apologized to Jack, and they had hugged, ending the fight between them. That Kai had remained a mystery even after all this time, and that Emma was finally free to go wherever she had wanted and chose to stay.   
Patience talked about meeting other psychics. She had met Sunny and Magda and now was very excited. They had gotten each other's phone numbers. She said that she hoped in the future there would be some sort of alliance. Sunny was extremely powerful and had mostly been able to fight Harper’s charm, which made Patience excited. She said that they’d make an amazing team. Roberta had found her parents and had gone home with them. BJ Winchester had stayed in Lebanon. He hoped to finally meet his family.  
Claire also realized that she had gotten ever to closer with Alex and Patience. They laughed and talked about how insane the week had gotten, how they had been amazing on the battlefield, how neither of them had killed any monsters but had been able to subdue them. Patience talked about how she was happy because for once, her vision had saved someone’s life. Max had survived too, but his sister hadn’t. Claire had a feeling it wasn’t because she had been killed. Alicia had died a long time ago. He had finally let her go.   
And Claire had finally let Kaia go. She had seen the girl who had killed Kaia, and she had decided to let her live, even after all the promises she had made to herself. She had said that she’d do anything to kill Kai. But now that she had seen her… talked to her… she had decided that Kai wasn’t a monster. She saw what Jack had seen, that Kai was a good person.   
“Why’re the lights on in our house?” Patience asked. Claire snapped back into reality as she saw what Patience saw. Alex frowned.  
“Maybe Donna and Jody came back from the UK,” Alex said.  
“They would’ve told us,” Claire said. She parked the car, grabbing her gun. The three of them stalked up to the house to see that the door was open. Claire walked inside slowly, her gun raised. She heard a sound in the kitchen and headed toward it, carefully. She opened the door, her gun pointed at the back of the thief. She had black, curly hair, and was wearing a dark teal hoodie. “Why’re you stealing from our house?”  
“I’m hungry,” The girl said, turning around. Her eyes weren’t scared, and a smile was growing on her face. She had medium toned skin and light freckles on her nose, black eyes, and a warm look about her. Claire lowered her gun, tears on her face.   
“Didn’t see that one coming,” Patience said. Alex elbowed her.   
“Kaia?” Claire asked.   
“Hello, Claire,” Kaia replied, smiling. Claire hugged her, sobbing. Kaia pushed her slightly back and kissed her. They stood in the kitchen, their foreheads pressed together, laughing and crying. Outside, it was pitch black, aside from the stars way above. They seemed to tell a story, a pattern leading them home, to Sioux Falls. Across the country, a boy waited by a lake with his family. A light flashed down from the sky, and a man in a black suit and a blue tie arrived. They didn’t say much, but they hugged. They had the stars, and the stars would go on for a long time, even after they were gone. 

Love isn’t something easy to gain, and it can be taken away as fast as the throw of a spear, a bullet, or an accident that destroys a family. 

Some families were never meant to be, but that night, they were finally together. 

They were finally home. And that’s all that ever mattered.


End file.
